Explosion-engine.



' & F. 0. PETERSON.

EXPLOSION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 7. IBIS.

Patented Aug. 28, 191 7.

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whammy J. 62 F. 0. PETERSON. I EXPLOSION ENGINE- APPLICATION FILED 001'. 7. 1915.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET-Z.

J. & F. O. PETERSON. EXPLOSION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED car. 7. 1915.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- VIIIIIIIIII'II7 JOHN PETERSON AND FREDERICK OSCAR PETERSON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

EXPLOSION-EHGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A11 28, 1917.

Continuation of application Serial No. 681,178, filed March 2, 1912. This application filed October 7, 1915. Serial No. 54,484.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN PETERSON and FREDERICK O. PETERSON, citizens of the United States, and residents of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Explosion-Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for supplying liquid fuel, such as gasolene, kerosene, alcohol or other hydro-carbons, in proper quantities to the explosion chamber of an internal combustion engine; and its object is to provide a simple and compact device which shall supply said fuel to the explosion chamber in proportion to the air at each operating stroke.

()ur invention consists in combination with an internal combustion engine cylinder, of a casing having a compression chamber and an air passage connecting the inlet port and the compression chamber, a fuel chamber surrounding a portion of said passage, a float-valve in said fuel chamber to control the level of the fuel therein, and a nozzle connecting into said fuel chamber and into said air passage, through which nozzle the fuel may pass into the air passage at the beginning of each compression stroke of the piston. Our invention further consists in combination with the mechanism set forth, of an air-pipe whereby the pressure in the fuel chamber will normally equal that in the compression chamber. Our invention further consists in an automatic closing device operated by the fluids in the explosion chamber and in the compression chamber, whereby the flow of fuel from the nozzle will be permitted to occur at each alternate or at every fourth stroke of the piston at will. It further consists in controlling means whereby the cycle of strokes at which fuel is permitted to pass to the explosion chamber may be regulated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of an internal combustion engine embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the manually operated cycle-controlling valve. Fig. 3 is a plan of an engine of the type shown in vertical section in Fig. 6 embodying this invention. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of an engine embodying a slightly modified form of this invention. Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 1 of a modified form of this invention.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the accompanying drawings, and especially Fig. 1, 1 is a crank-case and 2 the cylinder of an internal combustion engine having a piston 3 and connecting rod 4. Surrounding the cylinder is a water-jacket 5, through which extends a threaded thimble 6 for the spark-plug. The usual exhaust ports 7 and passage 8 may be employed, while the air intake valve 9 of any desired construction is connected into the crank-case in any desired manner.

As is usual in engines of this construction, the crankcase constitutes a compression chamber, but this invention is not limited to engines in which the crank-case performs this oflice. The wall of the lower portion of the cylinder is formed with a passage 11 which constitutes a portion of the transfer passage, the remainder being formed in an auxiliary casting 12, constructed with a U-shaped air passage 13, the lower end of which connects with this passage 11 in the cylinder wall, and the upper portion connecting with the intake port 14 of the engine.

Surrounding this passage 13, as shown in Fig. 4, is a fuel chamber 15. A nozzle 16 is open at its lower end in the fuel chamber and has an upper discharge opening 17 within the air passage 13. A pin 18 eX- tends through the walls of an extension 19 on the cap 20 of the fuel chamber and on it is pivoted a lever 21, to which is secured the horseshoe-shaped float-valve 22. The outer end of the lever 21 connects to a small arm 23 by means of a pin "24, the upper end of said arm 23 connecting to the ball-valve 25, which controls the flow of fuel into the fuel chamber. As the valve 25 is on the opposite side of the wall of the float chamber, the vacuum which occurs in the float chamber at each alternate stroke of the piston 3 will aid in holding this valve on its seat. A fuel passage 26 is provided with a valve-seat 27 for the ball valve 28, which acts as a checkvalve and prevents the return flow of the fuel to the supply-pipe 30. The usual plugs 31 may be employed to give admission to the valves 24 and 28 and to their seats.

The upper wall 32 which separates the fuel chamber and the passage 13, may be provided with a sleeve 33, in which is seated an air-tube 3%, a cap being provided to permit the insertion of this tube 3%. The operation of the device up to this point is as follows. hen the parts thus far described are in the position shown in Fig. 1, a few drops of fuel are flowing from the aperture 17 and vaporized, the vapor mixing with the air rushing up through the passages 11 and 13 and through the ports 1st into the explosion chamber or cylinder 2, where the can bureting is effected. The rising piston 3 immediately closes the port l-l and compresses the charge within the explosion chamber. Immediately after the first rush of air through the passages 11 and 13 has ceased, the pressure within the fuel chamber 15 and the passage 13 will balance by reason of the connection through the tube 31, and as the aperture 17 of the nozzle is just above the level of the fuel in the fuel chamber, no more fuel will flow from said aperture.

Vhen the charge in the cylinder is exploded, the piston 3 will descend and compress the air in the crank-case, producing a pressure which is communicated to the air in the fuel chamber through the passages 11 and 13 and the tube 34. Just before the port 14: is uncovered by the piston, a considerable pressure exists in the fuel chamber. immediately after the port 14: is uncovered, the air in. the chamber 13 rushes through the port, and the pressure at the aperture 17 within this passage is reduced, and this reduction occurs a sutiicient periodof time prior to the reduction of the pressure in the fuel chamber, by reason of the rush of air therefrom through the pipe 3%, that a few drops of fuel will be forced up the nozzle 16 and out of the aperture 17 by reason of the pressure in the fuel chamber being greater than at the aperture 17. The relative amount of fuel at each discharge is controlled by the small needle-valve 37, mounted in the casing 12, and having a pointed end at the discharge aperture 17.

The evaporation of the fuel at the aperture 17 will reducethe temperature within the passage 13 and prevent the fuel in the fuel chamber from over-heating.

It will be noticed that this fuel-feeder may be connected to any of the usual two cycle engines by fitting the body of the feeder to the cylinder wall after cutting an opening into the transfer passage 11 and placing a barrier 32 therein.

The pressure of air in the crank-case 1 at the end of the explosion stroke, and there fore the pressure in the fuel chamber 15, will depend upon the amount of air which has entered the compression chamber through the valve 9. By adjusting the movement of this valve, the amount of air which enters the crank-case at each compression stroke can be controlled and thus the difference between the pressure in the fuel chamber and at the aperture 17 at the instant the port 14 opens is also thereby controlled. e have found that this construction regulates the amount of fuel discharged at each opening of the port 14E from the orifice 17, which discharge is proportionate to the amount of. air drawn into the crank-case at each up stroke of the piston 3. 3

It is well known that the horse-power of a two-cycle engine is greater than that of a four-cycle engine of the same weight, "but that the fuel consumption per horse-power is usually also greater, due to the incomplete scavenging of the explosion chamber. The construction shown in Figs. 1 and 9, and shown in plan in Fig. 3, adapts this engine to operate on either the two-cycle or fourcycle principle. This is done by preventing the fuel from flowing from the aperture 17 at each alternate opening of the intake port 1%.

Connecting into the wall of the cylinder and communicating with the explosion chamber through a passage -10, is a valve 41 having a plug 12 provided with a handle 13. A pipe eel extends to a small checkvalve 15 having a ball-valve 41-6. A pipe 17 connects to the head of a small cylinder 48, within which is a piston 49 connected to a rod 50. A small block 51 of asbestos or similar heatresisting material is mounted in the end of this rod, so that when a pressure occurs at the outer end of the cylinder 18, thissmall block 51 will be forced against the end of the nozzle 16 and close the aperture 17. A second pipe connects into the outer head of this cylinder 48 and also connects into the cylinder 2, at such point that it will be uncovered by the piston 3 at the time that the piston reaches the upper end of its stroke, but will be covered during most of the other time.

The operation of this device is as follows. .Vhen the valve-plug 42 is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the explosion chamber is in communication with the upper end of the small cylinder 18 during such time as the passage 40 is uncovered by the piston 3. It may be considered that Fig. 1 illustrates the position of the parts while the explosive charge is entering through the port 14 as before described. During this time the piston 49 will be at the upper end of its stroke, and the closure 51 will be spaced apart from the orifice 17 in the nozzle 16. The piston 49 and piston-rod 50 will remain in this position during the compression stroke of the piston 3, and during the larger portion of the working stroke. After the piston 3 has uncovered the opening 40 toward the end of the working stroke, the pressure in the cylinder 2 will be such that burnt gases will rush through the passage 40, the valve 4:1, the pipes 141 and 57, into the cylinder 48 and force the piston a9, the piston-rod 50 and the closure 51 downward against the end of the nozzle 16, and close the aperture 17. This occurs just before the port 14 is opened, so that when the air rushes from the crank-case through the passages 11 and 13 and the port 14;, there will be no fuel flowing from the aperture 17 and nothing but pure air will pass into the cylinder 2. The piston 3 then rises and compresses air in the cylinder 2, and at the end of its up stroke, it opens the lower end of the pipe 53.

During this up stroke of the piston 3, a partial vacuum occurs in the crank-case and will also occur in the pipe 53, which will result in the piston 49 moving outward. It will be observed that the inner end of the cylinder 18 communicates with the outer air by means of a small passage 5 1. At the end of this second down-stroke of the piston 3, fresh air will again rush up through the passages 11 and 13, and through the port 14 into this cylinder, forcing out the air in said cylinder which is partially mixed with burnt gases, and practically completing the scavenging of all the burnt gases. During this rush of air the aperture 17 is opened and fuel will flow therefrom as has been before described. It will be apparent that when the valve-plug 12 is turned, and the passage of the burnt gases under pressure to the upper end of the cylinder as is cut off, that the piston 4:9, the piston-rod 50 and the closure 51 will remain in their outer position because of the suction which regularly occurs through the pipe 53.

\Vhere heavy oils are used as fuel, it is desirable that the pressure in the fuel chamber shall exceed that in the passage 13 for a longer time than when mobile fuel is employed. To continue this pressure for a longer period of time, the pipe 31 is omitted and the aperture through which it passes in the wall 32 is closed. A pipe 56, shown in Figs. 3 and 6, is connected to the cap 35 and to the crank-case at any desired point, and because of its length and smaller diameter, the friction of the air therein will cause the retention of the excess pressure in the fuel chamber. It will be noted that a pipe 56 of smaller diameter will cause this pressure to be retained for a longer period of time than where the pipe is larger in diameter. Where an engine of four-inch stroke is running eight hundred revolutions per minute, a port 14: remains open only about two-one-hundredths of a second during each revolution of the shaft. It will be apparent, therefore, that the friction of the air in the pipe 56 is a controlling factor, and that with mobile liquids, very short pipes only can be used.

In Fig. 5, the construction of the engine, including the piston and intake-valve 9, is

similar to that just described. The fuel-pipe 30, check-valve 27, the two plugs 31, the fuel-valve 25, the lever 21, the float 22, the nozzle 16 and its opening 17, and the needlevalve 37 are all of the same construction as heretofore described. An air-pipe 55 is mounted in the wall 56 which separates the air-passage 57 from the fuel chamber 58. The cap 59 is of such size that the float 22 can be introduced so that the removable part 20 of Fig. 1 is unnecessary.

The construction shown in Fig. 5 is simply a two-cycle engine adapted for gasolene and alcohol, and because of the shortness of the pipe 55, is especially adapted for high-speed engines in which the crank-case compression is high. Where the crank-case compression is low because of the large size of the crankcase, and the connecting passages, a short pipe 55 will not give the most satisfactory results, but a longer pipe 34 or a pipe 56 will be found more desirable. However, where the compression chamber is so formed that the air rushes in through the passage 11 under high pressure, the short pipe 55 will be most desirable. In this case as well as in the other two, the amount of fuel discharged from the aperture 17 will be in direct proportion to the amount of air passing up through the passages 11 and 57 into the explosion chamber of the cylinder of the engine. In each case, the aperture 17 should be slightly above the fuel level in the fuel chamber, so that there will be no overflow or flooding.

It has been found that the pressure within the fuel chamber 15 is slightly above the static pressure in the passage 13 at the lower end of the pipe 34 when the port let is opened, in the construction shown in Fig. 1, and that a similar condition exists in the structure shown in Fig. 5. It must therefore be assumed that the air rushing from the crank-case through the passages 13 and 57 is projected into'said pipes 34 and 55 and causes a pressure in said reservoirs due to the inertia of the air, or at least retard the flow of air through said pipes from the reservoirs and thus cause the pressures therein to remain higher than the pressures at the discharge ends of the fuel nozzles during a small fraction of a second. When an engine is running nine hundred revolutions per minute and the port 14 is open onesixth of the time, the port is open only oneninetieth of a second, so that the exact action is difiicult to determine. In either case, the inertia of the air causes relative pressures in the fuel reservoirs.

During the compression stroke of the engine, a partial vacuum occurs in the passages 11, 12 and 57, and will therefore occur in the fuel chamber. If the fuel level is sufiiciently low to permit the float to lift the valve 25 from its seat, this partial vacuum will cause fuel to flow up through the pipe 30 and into the fuel chamber. It is apparent that the pipe 56 may be dispensed with and that the pipe could be continued any desired distance in the passages 11 and 13 toward the crank-case.

The advantage derived from having the discharge opening 17 central of the fuel tank lies in the fact that the fuel will remain at practically the same level with reference to the opening 17, irrespective of the tilting of the vehicles or the rolling of the launches in which the engines are mounted. By having the opening 17 above the fuel level, no flow of fuel occurs except at the time the pressure within the fuel. chamber is above the pressure in the air passage.

lVe claim 1. In an explosion engine, the combination of a cylinder and a piston therein, a crank-case, a casing connected to said cylin der, said cylinder and crank-case connected by an air passage passing through the casing, a fuel chamber connected to said casing and extending around the same, a fuel nozzle extending through the wall between the fuel chamber and the air passage and into said air passage and having its discharge opening central of the fuel chamber, and an airpipe connecting into said fuel chamber and air passage whereby the air pressure in the fuel chamber will normally be that of the crank-case, the cylinder end of the air passage being so positioned as to be opened by the piston at the lower end of its stroke.

2. In an explosion engine, the combination of a cylinder and a piston therein, a crank-case, a casing connected to said cylinder, said cylinder and crank-case connected by an air passage passing through the casing, a fuel chamber connected to said casing and extending around the same, a fuel nozzle extending through the wall between the fuel chamber and the air passage and into said air passage, an air-pipe connecting into said fuel chamber and air passage whereby the air pressure in the fuel chamber will normally be that of the crank-case, the cyl inder end of the air passage being so positioned as to be opened by the piston at the lower end of its stroke, and means for closing said fuel nozzle at the end of each alternate clown-stroke of the piston.

3. In an explosion engine, the combination of a cylinder and a crank-case connected by an air passage, a fuel chamber adja cent said air passage, a float valve in said fuel chamber for controlling the level of the fuel, a fuel nozzle projecting through the wall between the air passage and fuel chamher and having a discharge aperture just above the level of the fuel in the fuel chamber, and an air-pipe extending from the fuel chamber into the air passage with the opening into the air passage opposed to the air moving through the air passage to the cylinder so as to retard the reduction of pressure in the fuel chamber.

at. In an explosion engine, the combination of a cylinder and a crank-case connected by an air passage, a fuel chamber adjacent said air passage, a float valve in said fuel chamber for controlling the level of the fuel, a fuel nozzle projecting through the wall between the air passage and fuel chamher and having a discharge aperture just above the level of the fuel in the fuel chamber, an air-pipe extending from the air passage to the fuel chamber, a piston within the engine cylinder, and automatic means for closing said fuel nozzle at the end of each alternate down-stroke of the piston.

5. In a fuel feeder for explosion engines, the combination of a body comprising a fuel chamber and an air passage, said body so constructed that it may be connected to the cylinder wall of an explosion engine in such a manner that the air passage will form part of the transfer passage of said engine, a float-valve in said fuel chamber for maintaining a constant fuel level therein, a fuel nozzle projecting through the wall between the air passage and fuel chamber and having a discharge aperture just above the fuel level,and an air-pipe extending downwardly from the upper portion of the fuel chamber into said air passage through said wall between said chamber and passage.

6. In an explosion engine, the combination of a cylinder and a compression chamber, a fuel-feeder body attached to said cylinder and comprising a fuel chamber and an air passage forming a portion of the transfer passage between the compression chamber and cylinder, a fuel nozzle extending from the fuel chamber into said air passage, a slidable member for closing said nozzle, and means operated by the fluids in the cylinder and compression chamber for actuating said slidable member to permit flow of fuel from the nozzle at the end of each alternate downstroke of the piston.

7. In an explosion engine, the combination of a cylinder and a compression chamber, a fuel-feeder attached to said cylinder, said compression chamber and fuel-feeder connecting to the cylinder by means of a transfer passage, a fuel nozzle extending from the fuel feeder into said transfer passage, a movable member mounted in said transfer passage for opening and closing said nozzle to permit or prevent the flow of fuel, and means to control said movable member so as to change the action of said engine to that of a two-cycle or four-cycle engine at will.

8. In an explosion engine, the combination of a cylinder, a piston therein, and a compression chamber, a fuel-feeder body attached to said cylinder and having a fuel chamber and an air passage forming a portion of the transfer passage between the compression chamber and cylinder, a fuel nozzle extending from said fuel chamber into said air passage and having an aperture at its outer end, a pipe connecting to the fuel chamber for communicating thereto the pressure in the compression chamber, a fuel control cylinder formed in said fuelfeeder, a piston therein, a rod connecting to said piston and carrying means for closing the discharge aperture of the fuel nozzle, and a plurality of pipes extending from said fuel-control cylinder to the engine cylinder and to the compression chamber, the pres sures in the engine cylinder and compression chamber causing the actuation of said fuclcontrolling piston.

9. In an explosion engine, the combination of a cylinder and a compression chamber connected thereto by a transfer passage, a fuel chamber, a fuel nozzle extending therefrom into said transfer passage, fluidoperated means for opening and closing said fuel nozzle to control the flow of fuel, pipes extending into said cylinder and compression chamber for the passage of fluid to operate the fuel controller, and a piston in said engine cylinder to control the flow of fluids through said pipes.

10. In an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber, means for compressing air, a bypass leading from said means to the combustion chamber, means for opening said by-pass to the combustion chamber to permit the passage of air impelled by its pressure, an inclosed reservoir for liquid fuel having a fuel conduit opening to the interiorof the engine, and a passage communicating with said reservoir above the liquid therein and opening into said by-pass so that the air passing in said by-pass shall be projected into said passage to cause a pressure in said reservoir due to the inertia of the air.

11. In an internal combustion engine hav ing a combustion chamber, means for compressing air, a by-pass leading from said means to the combustion chamber, means for opening said by-pass to the combustion chamber to permit the passage of air impelled by its pressure, an inclosed reservoir for liquid fuel having a fuel conduit opening to the interior of the engine, and a passage communicating with said reservoir above the liquid therein and opening into said by-pass against the current of air passing therein and extending in the direction of the movement of said air whereby said air is projected into said passage and causes a pressure in said reservoir due to the inertia of the air.

12. In an explosion engine, the combination of a cylinder and a crank-case connected by an air passage, a fuel chamber adjacent said air passage, a fuel nozzle extending from the fuel chamber into the air passage and having a discharge aperture just above the level of the fuel in the fuel chamber, and an air pipe communicating with said fuel chamber above the fuel therein and extending into said air passage in the direction of the current of air passing therein whereby said air is projected into into said air pipe and causes a pressure in the fuel chamber above that at the discharge aperture of the fuel nozzle.

13. In an explosion engine, the combination of a cylinder and a piston therein, a crank-case, a casing connected to said cylinder, said cylinder and crank-case connected by an air passage passing through the casing, a fuel chamber connected to said casing and extending around the same, a fuel nozzle extending through the wall between the fuel chamber and the air passage and into said air passage and having its discharge opening central of the fuel chamber, and an air-pipe subjected to crank case pres sure connecting into said fuel chamber whereby the air pressure in the fuel chamber will normally be that of the crankcase, the cylinder end of the air passage to the crank case being so positioned as to be opened by the piston at the lower end of its stroke.

In testimony whereof we sign this specification.

JOHN PETERSON. FREDERICK OSCAR PETERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

